Category: author

Misery Index

There are a select few who know history and know how to manipulate the masses. In generic terms, to the elite, the masses are nothing more than useful idiots.

It is no accident that despots throughout history were elected; they are more intelligent than the average person and took the time to understand the animal known as a human.

We, The People, elect leaders to focus on the things that matter. Family, friends, and a lifestyle that is comfortable and safe.

Anyone with a brain lives for today but plans for tomorrow.

Our tomorrows are slowly being eroded as Bidonomics is robbing the masses of their savings, forcing many into credit card debt and stealing retirement accounts through inflation.

Some of our leaders are so drunk with power that they are addicted. At some point, I will explain addiction in terms that even the dimwitted can understand it. Today, I want to focus on why you ‘feel’ how you do.

Soros and his ilk have more money than sense. He has compared himself to God.

While working at the Texas Medical Center, I knew many doctors who thought they were God.

The God complex is universal when it comes to those in power.

The power to save lives.
The power to ruin lives.
The power to manipulate economies.
The power to change the natural evolution of humanity.

The key word is power. The more they have, the more they want.

While money and power often go hand in hand, knowledge is much more powerful.

The only thing that trumps knowledge is wisdom.

Just because I can do it, should I?

With limited exceptions, most world leaders understand that the world is over once you push the launch button on nukes. There can be no winners. That is a fact.

While Einstein and his ilk were brilliant, they lacked wisdom. They lacked the knowledge to understand human nature. They gave the despots a superweapon because they understood the ATOM Fission and the physics that went along with it.

I address this in story format in my book Earth’s Last Hope.

You don’t give a child a loaded gun nor give demigods the power to destroy the whole planet.

Any invention today, ANY INVENTION, will be scrutinized by some to understand its potential as a weapon.

The God Complex is part of human nature.

The God Complex is a character flaw that is part of Narcissism.

A wise person would ask themselves, when is enough enough?

Feinstein, Pelosi, and their ilk lack wisdom. How much money is enough?

Why would you spend your entire life wielding your evil prowess on the world when you have enough money to be happy? They are drunk with power and lack wisdom. The hell of it is they think they are doing good.

Our leaders have no clue what the average person goes through daily. They don’t know what it is like to try and sleep at night and worry about how the water bill will get paid. They have never been happy to find cheap soup, five for a dollar. They don’t clip coupons.

Those people have the best doctors, security, and so on. They don’t understand what it’s like to worry about some thug attacking them for a twenty-dollar fix.

I cannot stand stupidity disguised as wisdom. While it infuriates me, some absorb toxicity to feed their inner demons. Many thrive on hate. They want to be mad. Some authors post scathing things ‘that they heard on the view.’

The talking heads getting millions of dollars a year to lie to us don’t understand what they are doing to the natural evolution of mankind. My feelings are that the talking heads don’t care.

I have said this before, and it is worth repeating that most actors are vapid creatures you wouldn’t want to meet in real life.

Actors and the DC elite have this symbiotic relationship as they are the same type of swamp monsters living in total depravity while loathing the people they purport to champion. Without writers, the late-night ‘comedians’ would be rather dull.

Without writers, the Thespians of the world would simply be another pretty face. We give the elite power by holding them in high esteem.

Circling back to the misery index, what does it matter, you might ask.

The higher the index, the more readily the masses will be ready to vote for someone who promises to improve their lives.

I want you to think about this last analogy before I stop typing…

When you were small and hurt yourself, your mommy probably kissed it and made it all better.

As you grew up and skinned your knees, mommy was there to cure the boo-boo and, if she were smart, would use it as a teaching moment. ‘Johnny, this wouldn’t have happened if you were not running in the house.’

From touching the hot stove to riding your bike on a busy street, you went to the one who could improve it.

Despots and politicians want to be mommies. They point out what is wrong and then blame the other guy. Elect them, and they will fix it.

Biden ran on making it all better. Are you better off today than you were in 2020?

Is the world better off today than in 2020?

If you said yes to either, you are most probably part of the problem.

Soros and his ilk spend millions to control the misery index before an election.

You need to be miserable, in debt, in bad health, working two jobs, and so on, so they can usher in a messiah.

While their end goal is a one-world government, many will have to die before it can become a reality. Which Despot will have total control over the Earth? Our open borders policy by this administration is a precursor of things to come.

Give us your poor, you huddling masses.. Yeah, give us more slaves so when the entitled brats in the US can’t find work, we can remove their voice by taking their money.

History is replete with this foolishness, and it works every time. How it works is simple. People are too damned lazy to learn history. In fact, few will read this far in this blog post to understand the points I am making.

Congratulations if you are one of the few who will read this far. You should follow me if you haven’t already.

Audiobooks are more popular than ever; why??? People are too damned lazy to read.

Ignorance of history and apathy are the politicians’ friends. I know many who approve of this administration. Why do they side with this administration? They listen to the talking heads blaming the misery on someone else and don’t bother to look at the facts.

The Universities get funding from the Soross of the world if they teach the right things like socialism.

Global Warming and Climate change are the rock falling from the sky ’chicken little.’ Teach things that will scare the sheep so we can control them with fear.

And how many genders are there today?

Masks don’t work, can’t work, but few understood why and chose to wear the obedience diaper on their faces. Be very afraid so we can tell you when it is safe to come out of your holes in the ground.

Think of this metaphor.

One four-legged white and black dog with a loud bark herds hundreds of sheep by chasing the sheep and barking. Sheep are stupid animals and react to stimuli. They run to where the bark (noise) isn’t.

We, the people, run to where the pain is less, even though the sheepdog puts us into a corner for the slaughter.

Look for the misery index to increase in election years.

You can bleat all you like, but you will never be free or happy until you understand how the dog is manipulating you and you take action against the dog.

The action I refer to is knowledge. While it is a cliché, knowledge is power.

There was a reason it was illegal to teach a slave to read.

There is a reason that the teachers union is in bed with the elite. Teach the masses just enough to be valuable idiots and brainwash the more intelligent sheep to believe that Stalin and his ilk were good people.

Obliterate history from statues to books so the sheep will have to believe the folks on cable news who tell them who to blame for their troubles.

Propaganda is rife; one day, the world will understand that Morning Mica is a paid propagandist.

If you want to support my efforts … Take a look at my latest novel. Earth’s Last Hope is a sci-fi with overtones of life on this planet. It’s light on science with an attractive redhead with daddy issues.

-Best

Writing Contest, Should You Enter?

Is it a good idea to enter contests?

I harken back to why I first put pen to paper way back when I was a child. Before English classes were part of my routine, I wrote. To be fair, I also drew and took part in other creative expressions, including teaching myself to play the guitar.

Why writing?
Why contests?
What is the larger picture?

Ancient movies might give false hope to writers. Dragging the carriage of an old typewriter back to the starting point a million times or so in the hopes of creating a best-selling novel might seem like a great idea. Still, I think it is the wrong reason to write.

I write for the same reasons I paint or play music; I do it for myself.

Losing oneself in a world you create is the only reward I can count on. Sorry if that bursts your bubble, but it is the truth of it. The same goes for painting or, yes, music.

‘But, there are famous artists, and look at these books that have sold millions of copies.’

Yes, that is true, and look at the lottery ticket winners; see, the comparison is not as estranged as one might think.

While I create stories, paintings, and music for my own pleasure, there is that fantasy that lives in the back of my mind that this book will be one that will sell.

So, to answer the first bullet point, write to please yourself. The odds are that others might also like your book if you are happy with your creation.

To respond to the second bullet point contest.

I have entered multiple contests and won many. Winning local contests affirms your writing; not winning is a wake-up call that you must improve something. The something is the bugaboo. What is it that you need to improve?

I will address this in a future blog. For now, I want to focus on which contests you should enter.

Lately, I have entered the Reedsy contest. Usually, there are about 300 entries that pay five dollars per entry. It doesn’t take a mathematician to figure out this is a business.

The cards are stacked in their favor, much like any gambling house, casino, or slot machine.

Why it works is simple: they prey on one’s ego.

Analyzing winning stories, it didn’t take long to determine that the judges were swayed by emotion. The judges are volunteers and could be anyone.

Reedsy is in the UK, as are their contributors, and so on. Idioms they use don’t resonate with Americans. Conversely, stories and styles written by Americans don’t seem to resonate with their judges.

In conclusion to the second bullet point, I would focus on contests in your backyard. If you live in New York, your story might not resonate with a judge in Alabama or vice versa, and most certainly not with some judge in the UK.

That is not always the case; however, keep that fact in mind.

The third bullet point that ties this all together is simply considering your audience. I continue to search for the algorithm of a best seller. Quite literally, you are shooting at a moving target. To spot your audience, one must almost be a time traveler with insight into the future.

While not as challenging as picking the correct lottery numbers for a specific day and time, it is almost as tricky.

Several authors have written how-to books on the subject.

This will sound cynical, but…if they are all knowledgable, where is their best seller?

I have their books on how to do this, and they have some value for the foundation of your novel. What they don’t have is ‘the magic formula.’

In conclusion to the title…I would keep it local and look for contests that don’t charge an entry fee unless…you get feedback on your entry, no matter what.

On Reedsy, you might get comments from those who read it; you want professional feedback.

As I venture forward in this world of words, I will continue to pontificate on what I have learned. The good news is that it won’t be in some how-to book you must pay for.

Click to follow, yes.
Sign up for my updates, certainly…Why not?
Comment occasionally, sure. I love to hear from you.
Buy my book Earth’s Last Hope… Yes, that keeps me going. I am currently working on a book about witchcraft… Seems prudent for Halloween, don’t you think?

-Best

The Lies we come to believe. (TIPS and other charges)

To insure prompt service…TIPS

Between inflation, shrinkflation, and the price of energy, most people have very little discretionary income.

Yes, this is a direct result of BIDONOMICS.

Like him or not, when Trump was in office, America was energy independent. Trump was working to secure our border and appeared to look out for this country’s citizens first.

This election cycle will be one to watch.

The truth of the matter is we don’t know who is running this country. We can bet that it is not the current occupant of the West Wing.

Under this administration, Americans are forced to use their savings accounts and withdraw from their 401s to make ends meet. Those who have saved money have shockingly depleted the reserve amount.

The alarming statistic is that many Americans have relied on credit cards to survive. Using credit cards, payday loans, or other forms of predatory lending will create a crisis soon if these trends don’t reverse.

Inflation must be controlled so we stop spending money we don’t have.

Those talking heads are paid to tell you everything is fine; don’t look at the man behind the curtain. Unlike politicians and other swamp monsters, they are paid handsomely to lie convincingly to you.

If you follow these articles, you will see that the climate change hoax is just one more lie to ‘nudge’ you into behavioral changes that benefit the rich and powerful.

Media giants are practicing what Stalin knew when he massacred millions of his own people. The Pen is Mightier than the sword.

Since fewer and fewer people read and have the attention span of Count Chockula, Pravda-like lies are spread by talking heads using emotional tags, usually hate.

For the manipulation of the masses to work, they need a villain. Why not some uber-rich guy with a big mouth and an orange complexion?

Why not serve up the savior of the American people as a pariah?

If you bothered to learn history, it is rife with examples of how it all works. Show the masses what is wrong in the world and then pin the tail on the donkey or, in this case, their most prominent adversary.

When Lincoln worked to free the slaves, the Democrats had him killed.

When Kennedy, much like Trump… a populist for the people and against the deep state, stepped over the line, they killed him.

No single bullet did all that damage; you have been lied to.

I’m not comparing Jesus to Trump, but…when his popularity threatened that of those who were rich and powerful, they made him the Pariah. Even his people released a thief vs. Jesus, serving him to the thugs in charge.

One last example which parallels what we are living through today. Hyperinflation is one step away. Like Hitler, Biden or his proxies will blame White supremacists or Trump or, as some Gen Z podcasters are lamenting…those fucking boomers.

Yes, they have found yet another way to divide the country by selling the least informed among us that somehow it is not only white men but white men born in the baby boomer era as the newest fall guy.

Only an idiot with a capital I would buy that nonsense, but…there was a country of them that sacrificed 6 million Jews to a megalomaniac under the guise that all their problems were because of the Jews.

Now, the only way those jackasses can make such statements is because of the boomers and their parents, who sacrificed so much that they have the freedom to spew such moronic nonsense. It gets them clicks, which is what they are after, right?

Read the Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire or…watch another ANTIFA or BLM riot burn down more cities and learn to play the violin while you watch.

Yes, history is cyclical, and that is why those mentioned in the last sentence want to remove all mention of it. Those are the same dumbasses that say Socialism works. We can make it work this time.

So, what about TIPS and other nonsense? Why is that in the sub-title of this article?

As I mentioned earlier, there is inflation and something called shrinkflation. That latter is selling less of the product for the same amount as before Bidonomics screwed the entire world up.

For those of you who took art or woman studies or perhaps philosophy in college, there is something known as a P&L or profit and loss.

For companies to stay in business, they must make a profit. The books should be in the black at the end of the day or ‘fiscal year.’ In the black is business jargon for ‘show a profit.’

Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, is called Black Friday because, at that time of year, certain businesses depend on shoppers to purchase enough of whatever they sell to push their end-of-year P&L from red to black.

How many of you thought about holidays as mechanisms for business economic prosperity?

Back to TIPS

I am convinced that wait staff are modern-day slaves.

Everyone attempts to extract more money from the consumer regardless of where you eat out. POS (point of sale) devices conveniently make it easy to tip and give extra money for services or goods rendered.

One business that made the news added an extra charge after the TIP for Employee Mental Wellness.

That expense is already substantial by the time you pay for your meal, the tax on that meal, and a reasonable tip. Due to inflation and minimum wage, employees mistaking those jobs for careers and demanding more money than our soldiers make; eating out is expensive.

In this economy, most people should see the inside of a restaurant only if they work there. Groceries have already reached the price point of unaffordable for many. Shopping for day-old bread, dented cans, and food near its expiration date is becoming increasingly popular.

That is part of the self-behavioral modifications that I am referring to.

I know people who would never darken the door of a Dollar General or Family Dollar who now frequent those stores. Big Box stores are much more popular than ever, and the trend will continue as more and more people are forced to pinch pennies.

While the pandemic devastated the restaurant business and our way of life, the downward trend continues.

It’s a slow spiral downward as personal wealth dwindles, and the banks can charge exorbitant fees for debt incurred by the masses.

Again, if you look at history while you fiddle, Rome is on fire!

What can you do about it?

Vote the Bastards out!

Established politicians need to leave DC not only as elected or appointed rulers but also be outlawed from serving the needs of companies as lobbyists or specialists/advisors that have anything to do with the ruling class.

Term Limits should be a mandate from We the People.

Puppets are serving as our elected leaders who are incapable of stringing a noun and a verb together in the same sentence!

How is it that you don’t know this?
These are all distractions presented to you by the propagandists.
How many believe a man in a woman’s dressing room is okay?
How many of you think a child should be able to change their sex without talking to their guardians?
How many of you cannot define a woman?
How many of you really think that America is racist?
How many of you really think that there are suddenly UFO’s
How many of you believe that there are more than two genders?
How many of you give a shit what a small minority of mentally challenged individuals think or feel?
How many of you really think we are getting the truth about Ukraine?
How many want to sacrifice your or your kid’s life to fight someone else’s war?
How many of you think the world’s end is coming because of climate change?

Keep fiddling, my friends. These are all distractions while the megalomaniacs fleece your futures, your children’s and their children’s futures.

When the Boomers die off, the next generation will blame you for all their woes, and they might be right: you fiddled. Playing video games is not a career choice unless you design them.

As a science fiction author, I must think outside the box. My personal take on life, this country, or politics are opinions. While open to debate, I do not engage in feelings as they are irrelevant to the status quo. That, my friend, is how you sort the wheat from the chaff. We are controlled by emotions, not facts.

The truth will set you free; the lies will cloud the facts, creating a hostile environment for everyone, and ‘they’ count on it.

-Best

Please consider purchasing my latest novel… Earth’s Last Hope.

Thanks!

Toll to the Troll

Taxes never end.

Everybody talks about it, and nothing ever happens. Why?

While visiting people in retirement homes, one lady told me a story. I found that story hard to fathom. In her time, there was a luxury tax.

The tax assessor would visit and assess a personal property tax on belongings. A full-length mirror was considered a luxury and was taxed accordingly. She would hide it under the bed to ‘cheat’ the government out of their share.

“Their share of what?”

I guess they knew people were hiding the mirrors under the beds and other items deemed a luxury. Since they didn’t have enough prison space to lock up the entirety of the country, they had to devise another plan.

Many tyrants today create new atrocities through stories to divide the tribes. What many refer to as systemic racism is nothing more than tribalism which is inherent in our DNA.

They know this but figure you are too stupid to understand how easily you can be manipulated into electing the fox that will eat you vs. selecting the shepherd who will protect you.

30 years ago, I purchased a house. Nobody helped me come up with the downpayment.

When I left home, I rented a dump I could afford while learning my craft. At night after a long day, I would have to chase the cockroaches off my table before I could eat a can of some concocted chemically laden food that was anything but healthy.

Purchasing day-old products or dented cans, I did what I could to survive. Returning home was never an option I would ever consider.

Why not instant gratification and rent something nicer, which I could have afforded??? So I could, at some point, afford a home. Before Dave Ramsy, I knew how to save money. Not using a credit card as a source of funds was one of the first lessons you must learn.

I worked a day job and then used my craft to start my own business, which kept me working till the wee hours before I had to do it again the next day.

Following the political ambitions of our elected leaders, I often question the process. I ended my career managing several folks and was responsible for million-dollar budgets from corporate America. I stopped being spoon-fed propaganda by the pundits on TV. They are all lying in some form or another. They are paid large sums to ease their conscience (like politicians) to spout damned lies while calling it the news.

At best, it’s yellow journalism…look it up if that term means nothing to you.

On January 6th, a riot in DC turned into a faux insurrection. The tapes released by McCarthy prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that our leaders are lying to us again. I mention this because America was founded on an insurrection.

Rejecting unfair taxes from King Georg’s Stamp Act to tossing tea into the harbor, Americans can only be pushed so far.

No, we will never surrender to the forces of darkness. Today Social media shapes the opinions of the jellyfish, who only know that George Washington was a slaveholder.

When you punch your time card or get up in the morning and drive to work, assuming you are not rolling out of bed and wiggling your mouse, you are a slave. Think about it.

I was once accused of being a whore. In retrospect, were they right? What will you do for money?

I paid off my mortgage when it hit me that between my monthly insurance cost and the property tax and associated fees, those monthly costs add up to more than what my monthly mortgage payment started out as. It’s almost as if I am renting my paid-off home from the government. That must stop.

Since the Golden State has been ruined by Marxist ideologies, Texas and others are flooded with people who voted for the fox. Now they are here and still think George Washington was only a slaveholder.

Universities around the country have instilled Marxism in the minds of the sheep. History is rife with how badly Marxism ends. Still, I guess history isn’t taught any longer as it is counterintuitive to the narrative.

Critical thinking skills are at a complete deficit. The proof is everywhere.

Governor Abbot, stop talking about personal property tax and do something about it. Sign an executive order, and scream at the top of your lungs that we will not take this nonsense any longer.

Why are retired people still forced to pay these incredible taxes?

In a bookstore not long ago, I noticed that familiar yellow and black covered book…’ for dummies’…

Marxism for dummies….’We will drain you dry and then devour you. Signed the fox.’

As a retired person, I spend my time assisting other writers who would like to become published. If you want a good read, please consider buying my book ‘Earth’s Last Hope.’

I aim to spend my ‘golden years’ supplementing my retirement funds with a passive income stream from Amazon… Bwhaaaa From a 24.95 hardcopy of my book, I get less than $3.00. Since Bezos has a new sweetie, he raised the cost of everything, including the distribution of the e-copy.

-Scott

Earth’s Last Hope

Every 396 billion years, all the planets align. Dr. Richards passes off the alignment as just another thing to discuss at NASA until Pluto’s moon is perturbed out of its tidally locked orbit. Discovering the reason for the perturbation sends her off on a quest to learn not what but who is responsible.

1947 was much more than a weather balloon. Samantha Richards discovers that her overbearing father is more than a soldier. Skunkworks is a walk in the park compared to his responsibilities.

When Earth suffers cataclysmic disasters, the president calls on General George Richards to invite his daughter’s uncanny expertise in solving puzzles to make sense of strange anomalies wreaking havoc around the globe.

Reluctantly, the two mend fences, placing all the secrets of AREA 51 and Roswell on the table. The world is in chaos and near extinction when Sam discovers the ‘WHO’ of the equation.

Chumming the Water © 2023

The term chumming is a fishing term. In short, it is a way to bring fish to you. In Peter Benchley’s jaws, they toss copious amounts of bloody fish guts into the ocean to attract the infamous Jaws.

In marketing, some authors chum Facebook and other social media. Again, it is a technique to bring readers and or an audience to you.

They usually will post a comment that is a hot topic.

“If he identifies as a girl, why shouldn’t he shower with the girls?”

“It’s not like Hitler killed all the Jews, just a few… million. They were privileged white people who took advantage of the have-nots.”

I could go on, but you get the point. The media does this by reporting like this.

“A white cop shot a black man.”

While the cop did shoot a criminal, they don’t tell you that the criminal attempted to kill the cop. They also use the adjectives white and black to stir up racial tension even more than it is. Once the adjective white and/or black is read by those triggered by hate, they won’t read further. They will have their hatred of the opposite race justified and amplified to the point that they, too, will dehumanize the opposite race.

There is a local radio station that I listen to on occasion for black people. What if there was a local radio station for White People??? Would that equal things or foment more hate, racial division, and violence?

If you don’t know the answer in a split second, you might be part of the problem.

A black man that commits a heinous crime against a white child will read as follows. “A man killed a six-year-old girl.” If the media were truthful and not biased, they would say, “A black man killed a six-year-old white girl.”

Is it ok to foment hate of white people but not of black? Biased much?

I worked in PR for years. Herding the masses off a cliff has never been easier with the advent of Facebook, Twitter, and Tick Tock. Indeed we are treated as lemmings.

Reporting on hot-button topics to sway voters is critical, and politicians know no shame. “Mass shooting?? Blame the guns.

Not only do some authors chum the water to attract attention to their novel, but they are so jaded by the process they are missing the big picture.

If I were to jump on the same bandwagon that the ladies of the View have regarding Tucker Carlson, half the country or my readers would be alienated.

If I were to defend him, the other half would be alienated.

When Trump was arraigned in New York, I was disappointed that Stephen King weighed in with ‘lock him up.’

If you were in an office with your co-workers, you would probably be smart enough to keep your political affiliation to yourself. We, as authors, don’t have the luxury of espousing our opinions on anything. The Queen of Harry Potter JK Rowling, took a major political hit when she promoted her thoughts on transgender issues. Again, no matter how factual or logical you are, it is the proverbial Kobayashi Maru. The only way to win the game is not to play.

The problem with that is this. Your first amendment rights are being trampled on by anarchists who are either paid by oligarchs or are just stupid regarding history.

That leads us back full circle to chumming the water.

If you are a terrible writer and just want the attention of those aligned with your political views, go for it. Piss off half your readers and feel good about yourself.

You probably spent months to years on your novel, not to mention all the money you spent editing it, etc. Then someone says something you disagree with, and you stupidly step in dog shit to argue with the dog who just pooped it.

There is an old saying which is incredibly germane. Garbage in, Garbage out.

I admit I spend a very tiny amount of time watching anything on TV. I have found little that has any redeeming quality and certainly nothing to waste heartbeats watching. Whether you watch FOX or MSNBC, they feed your hate. Some talking heads hate white folks to the point it is disgusting. If you are a racist, your bigoted views will be provided more fodder to justify your hate of white people. One racist anchor is on the record stating the world needs far fewer white folks. I was reminded of Hitler saying that the world didn’t need Jews.

If people like her fill your head with hate, guess where you will lean. MSNBC knows bloody well the extent of her racism, but they are chumming the water. Who do you suppose their audience might be?

The world has way too much hate already. We are controlled by people who use hatred to motivate our actions. Don’t fall for it.

Ever since I could remember, I have admired Barbara Streisand. I loved her acting and singing until I heard something horrible about her. It was rumored that she did not allow her servants to look at her in her face.

I found that fact repulsive but believable, disturbing, and upsetting. What I didn’t do was check to see if it were true. Why did I race to judgment? Hate. Hate is a strong emotion that will cause you to act before you think.

The media know this, and they use it daily. That is why I don’t watch cable news.

There is another reason: Cable TV with internet costs me nearly $300 a month. Have you priced eggs recently? How about gas? That $300 would be much better spent on the necessities of life than on propaganda fused with hate.

In these absurd debates, we attempt to one-up the other, which is pure insanity. History contains the road map that we refuse to acknowledge. There is no such thing as your truth or my truth; there is only ‘the’ truth.

It might be time for another Woodstock.

We should look for the things that unite us instead of focusing on things that divide us.

Using cheap tactics like those mentioned above for clicks or followers to my way of thinking is reprehensible. Our government and I suspect others are magicians. Don’t look at the hand with the shiny object; watch the other hand.

Let me know your thoughts, keep it clean; this is a family show. 😊

I have an excellent sci-fi novel that is ready for your order. From Kindle to Hardcover, please take a peek here…

-Best

Noise

Red Pill or Blue?

The media is currently either throwing a tantrum or engaged in a celebration over the former president’s arraignment.

If you are like me and are focused on living in ‘your world’ and not in ‘this world of corruption, violence, and craziness, ’ you must find a way to detach.

I lead a writer’s group in my hometown. I was asked why I write. The answer is simple. I like my world and characters more than those who seek to control us through emotional triggers and corrupt media who will print or say anything for clicks.

Journalism is dead and buried. Whoever owns the most media controls the world.

I was disappointed when Stephen King weighed into the fray, tweeting, ‘Lock him up.’

Does Stephen have privileged information that we don’t have? Is he friends with the DA? Maybe he lives in the white house and tells Biden what to say. That would explain the twisted way the country is currently being run.

As authors, the public, ‘our audience’ shouldn’t know which way we lean politically. They should be totally clueless if we are pro-life or pro-choice.

They should know what kinds of stories you create, what you have done in the past, and your current WIP.

I cringe when I see want-to-be best sellers go off the deep end, regurgitating the talking points of the left or right-wing media.

It matters not who you vote for or which way you tilt. You should know that what you believe to be true is probably not the entire story. The media is incredibly Stalinist, and today’s youth think socialism can work if you just do it correctly. That is akin to being ‘kind of pregnant.’ They either didn’t study history, or it wasn’t taught.

You have heard the phrase to live or die by the sword…Well, my friends, the media lives or dies by the lies they create.

I will get more clicks if I add the word black or white to describe a person. I will do it. Pissing people off is the way to get more readers. Pissing people off also foments racism and violence by dehumanizing an entire race for what; clicks? Who cares if someone gets hurt or is pushed in front of a subway because they are a different color? You got more clicks! People are irresponsible when it comes to the media.

I genuinely believe we are living in the matrix.

Six people are killed in Tennessee. The president jokes about Jenny’s chocolate chip Ice Cream before giving a predictable speech about gun control. Others pray for the trans person and not the people she killed. OMG, I misgendered the murderer! Who cares! Three nine-year-old children were shot to death, and three 61-year-old people were also killed. What the hell is wrong with people worried about the shooter’s pronouns?

Be respectable, and I will respect your right to identify as a toaster if you are an adult and that is what you want to do. Be an asshole like that, turd, nope. Not going to dignify her in any way. She can rot in hell.

The answers to violence in the world are painfully obvious, but…the lobbyist purchased the elected officials to lie to you and me. From the NRA to the teacher’s unions to the gaming industry, it’s about money. Money and power trump the taxpayers every time.

Mental health is the problem!

If you are young and seeking a vocation, become a mental health expert. The world, not just this country but the world, is in crisis. I totally believe that video games are the gateway to insanity. That and mind-altering drugs.

Hollywood is not excused; they are culpable too.

Those with the loudest voices live in gated communities and have never entered a Walmart. Tell me, how much $16 a pint of ice cream is in your freezer?

I don’t listen to opinion shows. Again, they don’t live in our world.

I live in our world but can escape, and so can you.

While I create the worlds, the characters, and the situations, you can come into my world by reading my latest novel ‘Earth’s Last Hope.’

Everything you would ever want in a novel, from aliens, affairs, sex with the president, and I destroy this world before I give you a happy ending. Each page is rich with the story, so don’t skip to the end; it won’t make sense. Start at the beginning and simply enjoy it.

Don’t start it late, or you will be up all night. You will love the character as the pages turn, and the science fiction is not hard science fiction.

Trigger Warning: If two ladies loving each other bothers you, this story might not be for you.

-Best

Give it a review! Reviews are critical to the process of success for authors. My e-mail address is in the book so, write to me if you have any comments.

Eyes Wide Open

$900 objectivity…

Not everything is as it seems.

There is something called the WOW factor that realtors depend on when advertising a home. It starts with a photographer with an eye for composition and finding that WOW factor.

From wide-angle lenses to angles that omit white elephants, good photographers know how to get pictures that will pique the curiosity of a potential buyer. Then there is software that listing agents use to dress up the white elephants turning a desert into a golf course.

We authors do this with book covers, but I digress.

While a book cover should entice a reader to at least look inside the cover, these pictures are to incentivize the buyer to request a tour. A recent potential home has lots of wow. Objectivity can get lost in the ‘wow’ if one is not careful.

Once you decide this ‘home’ is right for you, get some objectivity. More importantly, be prepared to walk away.

It started with a few curiosities. An indoor pool that was in less-than-perfect condition. A building that was rusted to the point of possible structural failure. Shoddy workmanship to cover flaws with minor cosmetic repairs that did more damage to the property than help.

Then there were multiple windows with what appeared to be bullet holes. They were, in fact, bullet holes.

Hiring an inspector is one of your best expenses for purchasing objectivity. It is not his or her job to say, run, don’t walk. Their job is to locate flaws, structural deficiencies, other modifications that won’t pass muster, and cosmetic repairs that put lipstick on a pig.

Google reviews and, yes, Yelp are paramount in finding a good inspector.

The inspector recommended by the realtor had more negative reviews than positive ones. Pictures of nail holes from pictures hung vs. screwed-up roofs were their standard. Attempting to sell you services after the fact, instead of doing their job, was also part of the standard operating procedures they followed.

The inspector we found went above and beyond, pointing out things that must be addressed before proceeding.

A move-in ready home went to no less than $100,000.00 in necessary repairs before an evaluation from the mortgage lender could proceed.

Some notifications were minor electrical updates that had changed with codes. Others were a roof that had been damaged by hail. Still, others were air conditioners that had been disconnected because they were dead.

After I requested previous bills, I was shocked to see their electric bill hit $800 in August.

Finding both AC units in the home varied the input air to output air from 12 to 15 degrees on a 58-degree day, respectively, answered my questions. The winter months would not be much better, from heat pumps to heat strips.

The bottom line is this. Don’t fall in love with a property until after a quality inspector does his job. Look for reviews of your choice of inspectors, and don’t depend on your agent. A listing agent will want the one that finds holes from pictures hung. You want an inspector that will crawl through the attic or under the home looking for anything that could bite you in the future.

-Best

Who is your audience?

At some point, the discovery writer (pantster) must decide who their audience is?

Plotters have the advantage of planning to create a story for a group of people.

For instance, if I were to write a picture book, my audience would be young children.

If I were to write a romance, ladies would be the audience. Sure, some men also appreciate Hallmark-type stories.

As an example, I wrote a story called Jupiter’s Song. I targeted science fiction buffs, however… It is really a coming-of-age story that belongs on the Hallmark Channel. Almost any ‘nerd’ will commiserate with Ralph.

A young child (nerd) finds that his interest in science puts him at odds with society. That makes him a target of bullies. How Ralph navigates the social world of ‘humanity’ is the focus of this short story which is available in our writer’s group anthology on my amazon author site.

https://www.amazon.com/stores/Scott-Taylor/author/B0BQCX3SRH

Marketing your book is critical to the process.

From the inception of your idea, an author needs to remember who their audience is. Most YA is written in the first person.

Many subject matter experts (SMEs) tend to put what they know in their stories.

One writer I know wrote a novel where they put tons of information on bicycles in the narrative. The story has nothing to do with that subject other than one of the characters rides one as a hobby. Does it move the story along? Is technical information on different types a distraction? Does it help or hurt the story? Do we care about the brand and the specifics of the brand when it adds zero value to the story? The focus of the book is aliens.

No, that is where a content editor is worth what you pay for. Whoever they used failed at their job.

‘Predators and editors’ is another topic I will cover in the future.

Another author is an SME on guns. What they ‘show off’ in their narrative has nothing to do with the story, plot, or what will happen. Those are just two examples of what not to do.

I don’t think we can pinpoint who coined the phrase ‘Kill Your Darlings,’ but they are correct.

In the movie industry, there is something called the cutting room floor. What ends up there are parts of the movie that don’t move the show along. Killing your darlings are things that the author loves but either detract from the plot or don’t move the story along.

Earth’s Last Hope is a science fiction fantasy with a strong female lead.

Romantic involvement as the subplot introduces the reader to the protagonist. Advanced writers will recognize the negative arc before it turns positive. There is no muddy middle, and I would start this book early in the day, so you are not up all night.

As a side note, I completely destroy the Earth, kill off 8 billion people, and we have a happy ending. In fact, you will love the finish. Don’t spoil it by attempting to read the ending first, as you won’t get it.

Read it one page at a time, and just enjoy it.

From that description, who is my audience?

I will give you a hint. It is written for today. 2023

In our anthology, I have a story called The Star People. ‘The Star People’ is the introduction to Dr. S. Richards. The negative arc comes from her brokenness from her dysfunctional family life as a child. The story in the anthology is a PG version of those chapters in Earth’s Last Hope.

If you are a writer, author, or want-to-be, I am the Carrollton League of Writers Executive Director. We meet in person and on Zoom.

After the pandemic, we decided to keep Zoom. Streaming services such as Zoom allow us to reach speakers, authors, and other creative types from around the globe.

If you want to speak with our group, please drop me an e-mail.

Frequently we have authors join us to talk about their work, how they got there, and so on.

I had a thought as I was closing this blog. Isn’t it odd that the UFO they shot down in Roswell in 1947 was later claimed to be a balloon? Where is that guy with the wild hair that screams Aliens? It seems we have a history with UFOs and balloons.

Staylor823@gmail.com

-Best

Scott Taylor

What the hell is going on?

To start this blog, let me first tell you that what you think is the truth is probably anything but.

As an author, I do my best not to be distracted by the news. Why?

First, the news is either broadcast through a lens of bias or is straight-out propaganda.

I like Bill Mahar, and I also like Ben Shapiro. Where have you been if you don’t know those names?

Bill is a classic liberal, and Ben is a traditional conservative. Both are intelligent people and worthy of your time.

Republicans and Democrats are dehumanized and marginalized by the media. If you have been brainwashed by the left, you won’t consider listening to a conservative. If, on the other hand, the right has bent your ear, you will dismiss anything you hear from the democrats.

It’s not enough to divide us along political ideologies. They need us divided along racial lines too.

Our current administration is going out of its way to curry favor with people who typically lean left by demonizing white males. I find what our leaders say offensive and, in the words of this generation, cray cray.

Bill went on Ben’s show. He clearly had based much of his ideology on talking points by the left.

I don’t think Ben shifted his opinions by anything Bill had to say. On the other hand, I moved some of my thoughts by what I heard. While both men are articulate and funny, I think Ben’s opinions are based on history and reality vs. what Bill heard on CNN.

The first lesson in life is,

Don’t believe everything that you hear.
Follow the money.
Just maybe you can judge a book by its cover.
Watch what someone does, and discount what they say until their actions match their values.

The world is a crazy place. Megalomaniacs with Nukes hold the entire world hostage. Weapons of mass destruction should be outlawed worldwide…period. I touch on this in my latest novel, Earth’s Last Hope.

If you wonder why there are so many shootings, you must follow where people get their input.

Hollywood
The Media
The gaming industry

Garbage in equals garbage out.

When we think of a time when the world, or at least this country (USA), was at its peak, Father Knows Best and Leave it to Beaver were what we watched. Shows with moral construct.

Acting up in school would get your butt warmed up rather nicely. It was both painful and humiliating. It should be.

Gun Reform is not the answer. Mental illness is.

We will never fix the problem. Both the entertainment industry and the gaming industry own too many lawmakers.

Until we clean up DC, the world is in peril. Money is the root of all evil. Money turns into power, and power is addictive as any drug that was ever conceived.

While Elon thinks occupying Mars is the answer, we must look past Mars. Read my novel for my thoughts on the subject.

My thoughts are my own; I am not for sale. My book is.

If you like it, please give it a review.

You can find it on Amazon and the E-version on Smashwords.

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1327396

-Best

Are We From Mars?

Are we mistaking climate change for evolution?

Stay tuned and be forewarned, I am a SciFi Author, and I think way outside the box.

I have studied Climate Change to some degree for years now. The first thing one must do is take politics out of the equation. Politics equals power and money. Corruption goes hand in hand with power plays, so one must remove the bias injected into the equation by discounting those with anything to gain.

When Greta came on the scene, the science she was parroting was faulty. You can make the graph say anything you want when you overlay data from different data sets. Hence the infamous hockey stick.

Politicians attempt to use harmful sound bites to steer the conversation, as people will more than likely click the headline that predicts the end of the world.

For the following few paragraphs, I want you to take a deep breath, sit back, and relax. I want you to clear your mind of the bullshit that has been spoon-fed to the world.

Again, I am a science fiction author. I think well outside the lines that those who educate us would like us to color in. I am not that person; I color outside the lines. I try to be the most argumentative person on the block if I think you’re wrong. Someone must stand up to the robots who want us all as slaves. I am that person.

There are solutions to the world’s difficulties that we may not look at because those resolutions are not inside the box. Those who own the media are controlled by oligarchs. Those people who got rich from screwing the little people. People like you and I, they want us to be smart enough to be useful idiots. When you are too old or damaged to be helpful, like a broken tool, they toss you in the dustbin. In this case, the dustbin is the end of the line in a disease-infested nursing home run by people who treat you like trash.

In my latest novel, Earth’s Last Hope, I weave into the tapestry of my story some primary hypotheses with fiction. The story is not heavy science and is more about us today and where we are headed if we don’t turn this ship around. To be clear, there are aliens, lusty ladies, space travel, Area 51, Roswell, and forbidden love. Before the main character’s arc goes positive, we live in the head of a person who is broken by her father and life.

You will love the main character and be impressed with the supporting cast.

There are many characters. Each plays an integral part in the story. As I wrote the book, I made notes of who was who, and for your enjoyment, I included that list of names. I know them each by heart. You might like to reference the ‘manifest’ in the back.

Many surprises, twists, and turns will keep you turning the pages.

If you want to know where the Earth is headed, look at Mars. If you have the ear of that climate change Greta person, tip her to this novel. Even she would like it.

What???

Yes, my friends, I have a pretty good idea based on a hypothesis that this planet will eventually go the way of Mars.

Someone will read my book or this blog, take the ideas, and claim them for themselves.

I can guarantee that plagiarism, theft of ideas, and so forth are rampant on the internet.

I have had novels stolen, translated into different languages, posted in other countries, and sold. I don’t make money. Someone else does.

I am going to address climate change…I will also tell you why this planet has headed the way of Mars.

Are you ready?

Are we going to be flooded by rising oceans?

Is the weather more intense because your grandfather drives a hummer?

No… We are in much more danger of humanity being snuffed out by lunatics who think you can win a war with Nukes. …

Again…look to Mars… Mars was once a blue planet. How can that be?

Are you scratching your head yet?

Do you want to know how that can be?

Here is a hint, if you want to know the future of Venus, look at the Earth.

If you have read this far and are intrigued, you could do me a solid and buy my book. I get a small cup of coffee for every book sold. Bezos makes the bulk of the money. With enough coffee, I can keep thinking outside the proverbial rectangle.

As a side note, Greta just released her latest book on climate change after talking to experts.

The mature adult Greta just got into a pissing contest with Andrew Tate. Pffft. I wonder why there are nukes in the world; I just can’t figure it out. SMH

The media will make Greta rich by hyping spooky stories about the sky falling. Her biased opinion invalidates any science she purports to consider relevant. They will make her rich because they like to push negative stories like Climate change to control the narrative. Chicken Little and Greta have lots in common. Too bad she never read the children’s book. Had she studied science from an unbiased source, not the IPCC, she might have tempered her scowl.

I think you will find my work of fiction much more entertaining than hers. Scientists will probably find my theories closer to the facts than charts and graphs based on screwed-up data.

We lose 90 tons of atmosphere every day thanks to the cosmic wind. That atmosphere contains thousands of gallons of water. Could the droughts, dried-up rivers, and even our Grand Canyon that look like the canals on Mars be signs of things to come? Could those spires of land poking out of lakes and different oceans be a precursor to the fact that we are losing water and not going to have sea level rise?

Do you really believe the White Cliffs of Dover rose from the depths of the abyss? Do you really think that the Grand Canyon pushed up from somewhere below?

Read my novel.

-Best

Scott

Earth’s Last Hope and/or The Hills We Climb